N.Korea Fires Rockets from East Coast Near DMZ

North Korea fired about 100 rockets and artillery shells off its east coast in Kosong, Kangwon Province near the demilitarized zone on Monday. This exercise originated farther south than any previous launch off its east coast.

The North has recently fired short-range ballistic missiles from sites near the DMZ.

"The North fired some 100 rockets and shells from multiple rocket launchers and costal artillery from an area in Kosong only hundreds of meters north of the Northern Limit Line [de facto maritime border] from 11:43 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Monday," a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said. "None of the projectiles fell south of the NLL in the East Sea."

The projectiles traveled anywhere from three to 50 km, and given the range, it was presumed that they were fired from 240 mm MRLs (with a maximum range of 60 km) as well as 122 mm MRLs and 76.2 mm coastal artillery guns.

The launches were made with no prior warning and were apparently a show of force against the South amid increasing tensions between the two sides.

The North has fired rockets and missiles in a series of military provocations since Feb. 21.

"The North seemed to want to display its capability once again to launch massive bombardment against any specific target anytime, just as it fired some 100 artillery shells into the water near Baeknyeong Island in the West Sea on March 31," a military source here speculated.